Tuft frame for looms



Feb. 27, 1934. c. c ALVQRD 1,948,835

TUFT FRAME FOR LOOMS Filed July 23, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l lllllllfllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIII Iii- INVENTOR Feb. 27, 1934. Q Q ALVQRD 1,948,835

TUFT FRAME FOR LOOMS Filed July 23', 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- Maw Patented Feb. 27, 1934 PATENT; OFFICE TUFT FRAIWE FOR LOOMS Charles C. Alvord, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Worcester Loom Works, Worcester, Mass.

Application July 23, 1926.

11 Claims.

frames are successively removed from the conveyor chains and inserted into the warp, or by some such method as disclosed in Patent #1,436,619 wherein the tuft yarns are transferred to the weaving point by a set of grippers or otherwise.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved tuft frame which can be threaded rapidly with pile yarn without being removed from the conveyor chains.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tuft frame which can be easily threaded without the use of a draw hook, or means other than the hands; in other words, a hand threading tuft yarn frame.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a tuft frame of such a unique character that without undue stoppage of the loom, a manufacturer need purchase and employ no more than the exact number of frames required for the pattern of fabrics he desires to Weave.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tuft frame that can be put into the loom and keptthere without the necessity of removing it periodically, as is the present practice, and sub- J'ecting it to dangerous trucking journeys to the threading machines and back again with the accompanying probable damage to such a relatively delicate article.

I 'obtain the hand threading result by providing a free and relatively narrow entrance into each normal yarn passage, through which the respective tuft yarns can be inserted by hand,so they will enter the passages. and be ready for weaving. These entrances are located in such a position with reference tothe .yarn supply and yarn taking means that there is no inclination for the yarn to pass out through the narrow entrance while it is being pulled off during the weaving to form tufts in the carpet. Likewise, while the tuft frames are passing. around the conveyor chain sprockets as each succeeding tuft frame is moved to the weaving point, the natural hairy nature of the yarns combined with the relatively narrow self-threading openings together with the resulting friction therefrom preclude any possibility of the yarn falling out of the yarn passages. Thus my hand threading frame handles the pile yarn in the loom as successfully as will any frame in which the yarn has to be drawn in by means of a hook..

Serial No. 124,388

The present method of threading the tuft frames makes it necessary to remove them from the lc-oni and transfer them by truck to a threading machine. Preliminary to this, the new set of spools has been filled with the proper colored yarns, the free ends of yarn on each spool being retained in parallel relation by a comb clamp having the same pitch as the yarn guide members on' the tuft frame. The frames are clamped successively into a threading machine in such a position that one, or a series of draw hooks can pass through the yarn guide passages and en-- gage with the yarns adjacent to the point where they are secured by the clamp. Upon being retracted the hook or hooks, draw the yarns through their respective passages. The full set of refurnished tuft frames is then trucked to a loom that is in need of a fresh supply of tuft frames.

It is obvious that such a method is costly for it is necessary to have a considerable surplus of tuft frames on hand, some'all drawn in and ready to be inserted in a loom, whileothers are in process so that the looms need not be idle. Another serious defect is that owing to the necessarily delicate structure of the tuft frames there is grave danger of damage due to the many handlings. My invention allows the frames to be threaded rapidly even whenthey are still in the looms, so they are not subjected to such dangerous and destructive handling. I propose to insert the spools into the frames while they are at or still in the loom and then start the yarns into their respective threading entrances; by a Wiping motion of the comb clamp. Once started in, they will readily pass into their normal position by the aid of a slight motion in that direction. Thus one set of tested frames stays with one loom While the loom is in operation a fair proportion of the weavers duties consist of drawing broken ends into the tuft frames. If a number 'of yarns happen to be outon one frame the weaver has insufficient time to draw them all in 'with a draw hook whilethe loom is running.

Rather than stop the loom and lose production.

he is forced to leave out some of these ends, thus making bad spots in the carpet.. The quality of the carpet is therefore due largely to the rapidity with which the weaver can draw in broken ends. It is much easier and quicker to draw in single pile yarn ends in my hand threading frame than by means of a draw hook on a standard frame.

With the above and other objects in View my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my tuft frame for use on a gripper loom.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1, showing the yarn threaded into the frame, and indicating a gripper.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of the tuft guide members.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows my method of threading the frame illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The conventional dogs 1 are mounted on a rigid tube 2 to which is fastened by rivets 14, see Figure 2, the tuft guide member 3 consisting of a series of parallel yarn passages 4 and the walls between shown clearly in Figure 3, which passages serve not only to properly space the strands of pile yarns but also to provide friction for them individually. These passages are chamfered or hell muzzled at the intake end 5 so that knots will start through easily. The yarn passages 4, open into slots 6 which guide the grippers as shown in U. S. Patent #1,436,619. Since a gripper point is only a few thousandths of an inch thinner than the width of the slot 6, it secures all of the substance of its pile yarn, a condition which is essential to the manufacture of high quality carpet. The walls of the gripper slots 6 are bevelled as at 8 in order to guide the entering grippers 7. I prefer to form my tube frame from a rigid bar in order not only to secure great accuracy of spacing for the yarn guiding passages, but also that this accuracy may not be destroyed by bending of the walls of the yarn passages should the frames be carelessly handled during the various processes of threading, or in weaving. Furthermore, the relatively stiff walls of the yarn passages assure against the danger of the threading entrances becoming closed up .through the bending of the walls, thus rendering my hand threading feature inoperative.

To provide easy threading I have opened up each yarn passage 6 as shown at 9 by an entrance relatively narrower than the yarn, chamfering it as shown at 10 so as to assist in the locating of the entrances by the various tuft yarns when threading. Once the yarn has been forced broadside through the constricted entrance 9 into its normal passage 4 it will have no tendency to come out again since the pull of the gripper while drawing off yarn tends to retain it in position.

The spool 16 is held substantially as in usual practice for weaving tufted fabrics by seating it in bearings in the tuft frame dogs 1, which are freely attached to the sprocket chain 21, and it is kept from turning too freely on its gudgeons by the friction imparted to its heads from the pressure of the tension springs 17, all as is common in such looms. The pile yarn 18 passes downwardly to suitable guiding passages which also impart friction to each individual strand oi yarn so that each will remain in place against displacement from any normal force which might cause a shifting in position without this slight retension. It is necessary for good weaving that the free ends of the yarn remain projecting from the ends of the passages undisturbed after they are sheared oif, so that succeeding tufts will be of uniform length.

In my new tuft frame shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 I have devised a frictional guiding pas-- sage that developes the correct amount of static friction to retain the ends of the strands against displacement and allow them to be grasped properly by the grippers 7. As shown in Figure 5 I may, at times, prefer to have each wall between the passages 6 equipt with a good form of projecting nose 20, which is formed to a thin edge, as a help in threading this style of tuft frame. Figure 5 shows the yarn 18 as already between these noses and in position to be passed through the entrances into the passages. The projections 20 are so situated that the portion of pile yarn immediately above the comb clamp 19, being held thereby in perfect parallel alignment, is caused by the operative to enter between the projections at that point prior to entering the tuft frame proper. It is essential that these new and valuable guide projections are placed in a convenient and easily accessible position so that the operative can pass the comb clamp with its several strands of yarn in close proximity to the point of the projections, and then press the comb clamp rearwardly toward the butt of the projections so that they will severally enter between their respectively strands. The gauge or spacing, of both the threading entrances and the standard comb clamp 19 is identical and when the clamp 19 is pushed past the outer end of the yarn passages the noses 20 pass easily between the several strands and assure the proper threading of the tuft frame, all as illustrated in Figure 5.

In the form of threading entrance shown in";{

also a strand of yarn can similarly be removed? from its passage without drawing the end out. I have shown the threading entrance as at one side of the yarn passage but it could be located at some different point without departing from my invention.

The threading entrance is located so that the yarnwhile passing from the source of supply, the spool, to the taking off point, during the process of weaving, will have no tendency to be M With my new and useful tuft frames I can 3..

thread any of the yarn passages by means of the hands only and without recourse to a draw hook or any other mechanical means so I have called The entrances are 1, a

it a hand-threading tuft frame, for when the H various strands of yarn are placed in proper" threading position the natural longitudinal movement of the yarn will cause the strands to enter the passages and thus they are hand threading.

What I claim is:-

1. A tuft frame having means rotatably to support a spool having wound thereupon a series of yarns and having a series of guideways forming passages to receive the yarns provided with rigid walls forming entrances for grippers spaced uniformly with said yarn passages, each yarn passage being provided with a broadside threading entrance, and said frame at one side of each broadside threading entrance having a projection extending outwardly beyond the entrance sufficiently to engage the yarns drawn tangentially from the spool before they reach the entrances in the threading operation, thus insuring the several yarns being threaded into the proper entrances.

2. An integral one-piece yarn guide for a tuft frame comprising a series of parallel ribs spaced to form yarn passages open at the bottom to provide gripper entrances and open at the front to provide broadside threading yarn entrances and a Wall spanning each space at the rear of each yarn passage and merging into the side walls of the ribs.

3. An integral one-piece yarn guide for a tuft frame comprising the construction defined in claim 2, together with an integral yarn threading guide projection extending forward from each rib.

4. An integral one-piece yarn guide for a tuft frame comprising the construction defined in claim 2 in which the walls forming gripper entrances are open at the back, whereby said gripper entrances are uninterruptedly open from front to back.

5. An integral one-piece yarn guide for a tuft frame comprising the construction defined in claim 2 in which the broadside threading yarn entrances are choked down to a width less than the width of the yarn passages, whereby the yarn is retained therein from accidental displacement.

6. In a yarn carrier for tuft weaving, the combination with a carrier-frame, of a structurally continuous device along the frame having substantially rigid-walled openings for receiving the yarns in a broadwise manner and retaining them against unintentional reverse broadwise escape, and a series of transverse guides or separators constituting downward extensions of the side walls of said openings.

'7. A carrier for tuft yarns for looms comprising a frame, yarn-spool supporting means'thereon, a yarn separating strip along one face of said frame having a projecting, front-opening slotted portion to retain the yarns in spaced relation, and a cooperating series of yarn-separating gripper guides at the side of said separating means opposite the supported spool or spools.

8. In a tuft-yarn carrier, a substantially tubular frame having spool-supporting means, a yarn-spacing device extending lengthwise thereof, secured to the lower portion of the frame, and having a series of structurally continuous alternating recess and projection formations outwardly of the front face of the frame to provide yarn-separating and guiding means accessible to the yarns in a broadwise manner, and having a gripper-guiding wall associated with each of said projection formations.

9. In a spool-supporting yarn carrier or tube frame for looms, an elongated main frame element, a substantially co-extensive and structurally continuous element at the lower portion of the frame and projecting outwardly at the frame front, said element comprising a series of substantially rigid side-threadable yarn receiving and retaining formations, and a cooperating series of yarn and gripper guide members at the yarn exit side of said formations.

10. In a yarn carrier or frame for looms, in combination with a main frame, an element along and secured to the lower portion of the frame for guiding the yarn-grippers of a loom and also to space the yarns, said element comprising a plurality of transverse rib-like members positioned to guide the yarn-grippers between them and projecting at the front face of the frame, in substantially the plane of the lower face thereof, with their major axes approximately perpendicular to the yarns, to receive yarns in a broadwise manner between their projecting portions, and cooperating integrally formed means at said projecting portions of said members and extending laterally with respect thereto for retaining the yarns against reverse broadside escape.

11. In a yarn carrier or frame for looms, in combination with a main frame, an element along and secured to the lower portion of the frame for guiding the yarn-grippers of a loom and also to space the yarns, said element comprising a plurality of transverse rib-like members positioned to guide the yarn-grippers between them and projecting at the front face of the frame, in substantially the plane of the lower face thereof, with their major axes approximately perpendicular to the yarns, to receive yarns in a loroadwise manner between their projecting portions, each such member having on its projecting portion an integrally formed lateral nib, prong or like projection constructed and arranged to permit the broadside positioning of a yarn between the given member and that next adjacent but to retain such yarn against reverse broadwise escape.

CHARLES C. ALVORD. 

